Add these strengthening pelvic floor exercises to your workout routine to improve your sex life and reduce your risk of incontinence.

The pelvic floor is often overlooked, but they’re an important set of muscles to exercise! A strong pelvic floor is responsible for control and pleasure during sex, and they also control the bladder and bowel movements.

What is The Pelvic Floor?

So what exactly is the pelvic floor? These supportive muscles, tendons, and ligaments form a hammock at the base of the pelvis, helping the bladder, uterus, vagina, and rectum to function correctly. (1) They are the foundation for the core, providing stability and support to the organs of the lower abdominal cavity.

Common causes of pelvic floor issues include pregnancy or childbirth, hysterectomy, certain sports, aging, or inactivity of the pelvic floor muscles, just to name a few. Once the pelvic floor has been compromised, problems such as incontinence, diminished sex drive, or even pelvic organ prolapse – when pelvic organs protrude into or outside of the vagina – can arise. The most common sign of a weak pelvic floor – which affects up to 25% of women – is involuntary urine leakage (incontinence). (2)

Luckily, pelvic exercises can help to restore strength and reverse some of these negative effects. (3) These exercises, also known as Kegels, involve squeezing and relaxing muscles in the genital region in order to isometrically train the pelvic floor muscles. (4)

How to Locate Your Pelvic Floor

Before beginning the following exercises, you must first be able to locate your pelvic floor muscles. Here’s how to do it:

1. Begin lying down with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.
2. Squeeze and lift the rectal and vaginal areas as if you were trying to stop yourself from urinating. Hold for 5-10 seconds and then release.
3. You should feel a closing feeling in your genital area when you squeeze. Imagine yourself drawing energy from the base of the pelvic bowl all the way up your body and through the crown of your head.
4. Repeat for 5 reps.
5. Use this Kegel sensation throughout the following 7 exercises.

7 Pelvic Floor Exercises

Bridge | 3 reps

This pelvic exercise helps to strengthen the pelvic floor, core, and hamstrings.

1. Start by lying down with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Place your arms down alongside your body with your palms facing down.
2. Engage your pelvic floor. Then, inhale to lift your hips up towards the ceiling. Hold for 20 seconds and then exhale to slowly release your hips back down.
3. Repeat for 3 reps.

Shifting Plank | 15 reps

This exercise strengthens your pelvic floor and the other surrounding core muscles.

1. Start lying on the floor on your belly. Prop yourself up onto your forearms, straighten your legs and tuck your toes under, coming into a forearm plank.
2. Draw your navel up and in and engage your pelvic floor. Your shoulders should be stacked over your elbows and your hips should be in line with your shoulders.
3. Staying in your plank shape, inhale to shift your shoulders in front of your elbows, coming high onto the balls of your feet.
4. Exhale to shift your shoulders back over your elbows, pressing your heels back.
5. Repeat for 15 reps.

Wall Sit | 60 sec

This exercise helps to strengthen the pelvic floor, core, and legs.

1. Stand facing away from a wall.
2. Place your back against the wall and then walk your feet out in front of you so that the wall is supporting you.
3. Bend your knees until they are at 90-degree angles and engage your pelvic floor. Keep your navel drawing up and in towards your spine so that your lower back is pressing into the wall.
4. Reach your arms straight out in front of you hold for 60 seconds, then release.

Split Tabletop | 15 reps

This exercise strengthens the pelvic floor and core muscles.

1. Start by lying down with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Place your arms down alongside your body with your palms facing down.
2. Engage your pelvic floor and lift your feet off the ground. Parallel your shins to the ground so that your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
3. Keeping your knees at 90-degree angles, inhale to separate your thighs into a straddle.
4. Exhale to squeeze your thighs back together and contract your pelvic floor.
5. Repeat for 15 reps.

Tabletop Pelvic Tilts | 15 reps

These pelvic tilts help you to strengthen the pelvic floor.

1. Begin on your hands and knees in a tabletop position, with your shoulders stacked over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
2. Inhale to round your lower back, tilting your tailbone down. Tuck your chin, draw your navel up and in, and contract your pelvic floor muscles.
3. Exhale to come back to center.
4. Repeat for 15 reps.

Bird Dog | 12 reps per side

This exercise strengthens the pelvic floor and the rest of the core muscles, improving balance and coordination.

1. Start in a tabletop position on your hands and knees. Engage your pelvic floor.
2. Shift your weight onto your left hand and your right knee. Then, inhale to reach your right arm forward and your left leg back.
3. Pause for a moment to balance, then exhale to place your right hand and your left knee back down to the starting position.
4. Shift your weight onto your right hand and your left knee. Then, inhale to reach your left arm forward and your right leg back.
5. Pause for a moment, then exhale to place your left hand and right knee back down.
6. Continue alternating for 12 reps.

Dead Bugs Crunch | 15 reps

This exercise strengthens the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles.

1. Start by lying down with your knees bent and your heels on the floor. Extend your arms back behind your head and engage your pelvic floor.
2. On an exhale, draw your knees into your chest and crunch your shoulders up off the ground. Reach towards your toes as you contract your pelvic floor.
3. Inhale to lower your arms and heels back to the starting position.
4. Repeat for 15 reps.

Shared with permission from our friends at PaleoHacks.

Ultimate Arms Workout Plan for Men and Women

Do you have excess fat on your arms and want to lose that?  it’s very understandable, after all it can cause self-consciousness about showing off your upper body.

First of all you have to understand that it’s not possible to lose fat from just one area of your body part, but, we can lower our total body fat percentage, it will help you lose inches from your arms and give them a slimmer look.

Follow these 5 steps to lose Arm-Fat and get toned arms.

Step 1 – Diet to lose arm fat

You should eat at least five to six small meals a day, many people think that going on a serious diet or skipping meals can help them lose that arm fat but that is very unhealthy for you body and it doesn’t help in long term.

You need to eat 5-6 healthy small meals per day, like whole grains, eggs, low fat dairy, vegetables, fish, lean meats and healthy fats like nuts, seeds, olive oil and fruits.

Step 2 – Drink water

Drink loads of water. Water helps you in burning that extra fat, it also helps you to flush all the toxins from your body. Water will keep your immune system healthy and ensure you are hydrated during your daily workout. Stay away from sugary drinks.

Step 3 – Workout to reduce arm fat

Enroll in a workout plan. There are so many Arm Strengthening Exercises that can help you lose inches off your arms.

Make a workout plan and stick with it, working out 45 minutes and day and 4 days a week is healthy for you, workout should be part of your lifestyle. Below are some of the exercises that you can perform.

·  BICEPS CURL

·  ALTERNATING HAMMER CURLS

·  RESISTANCE BAND BICEPS CURL

·  DIPS

· TRICEPS KICKBACK

· SEATED OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION

· RESISTANCE BAND BENT-OVER ROW

If you are a beginner, you should use low weights and only 2 sets of 8 reps each. For more workout plans, checkout workout plan section.

tep 4 – No more junk food

Cut down on junk food, junk food plays a big role in getting that arm fat in women’s. If you eat loads of junk food, you need to cut down on it day by day. Remember if you want to lose that fat off your arms, you need to stop eating junk food.

Step 5 – Keep it up

Don’t give up, many people start a program or a challenge and give up in couple of days as they don’t see any results. You need to understand that change doesn’t happen overnight. Stick with the plan and you will get there.

These are my 5 steps of losing that arm fat for women’s. I would love to hear about you progress and if you have any question just comment below of click on contact us page from the menu.

An effective way to activate your glutes for growth and for a rounder butt overall would be to implement resistance bands into your workout routine.

They can be taken with you on the go which makes them extremely convenient.

Resistance bands work by placing constant tension on the muscles throughout the entirety of the movement.

That means that during both the concentric and eccentric part of the movement, your muscle fibers will be tearing.

This is crucial for anyone who is looking to grow their muscles. This is why most professional bodybuilders will make it a key emphasis in their workouts to slowly lower weight.

You want to get the most out of your workouts so that you can reach your goals faster.

I’m going to give you 10 resistance band exercises that will help you target your glutes from multiple angles for maximum growth.

1. SIDE-LYING CLAM

The side-lying clam will primarily target the gluteus medius.

This muscle runs down the side of your hip as well as the outside edge of your butt.

Implementing this exercise will help you to build the muscle that gives you that hourglass look, something that many women desire greatly.

The Gluteus Medius is also a very important muscle for everyday functionality and movements.

It is responsible for both hip stabilization and balance.

Building your gluteus Medias will help protect your lower back as well as your knees when you walk by preventing overcompensation due to a weak gluteus Medias.

How to: Start lying down on the floor on your side. Place the resistance band just above your knees, from here move the leg that’s on top to a 90-degree angle by pushing it away from your body laterally. Your feet are to stay together, the only thing that should be moving out laterally is your hip and leg. At the top of the movement, flex your glutes to get the most out of this exercise before slowly descending back down to your starting position. 

2. PULSING GLUTE BRIDGES

One of the most popular resistance band exercises on this list.

The side-lying leg raise is a great exercise for developing the “hip dip” or as previously stated, the gluteus medius.

It also targets the side hip flexors, thighs, and hamstrings.

This exercise can help reduce a women’s cellulite while growing their butt.

How to: Stand up with your legs shoulder-width apart. Place the resistance bands at your ankles and Lift one leg laterally lift it as high as you can before slowly lowering it back down. This can also be done on the floor, same rules apply. Wrap the band around your ankle and extend the top leg out laterally, making sure the leg stays straight. Slowly descend back down at the end of the movement.

4. GLUTE KICK BACKS

How to Gain Muscle: 5 Do’s and Don’ts for Women

1. Don’t Skip Recovery Days
Although exercising is important for strength and muscle growth, rest and recovery is just as crucial. Your muscles break down when you exercise, and the growth happens when you rest. If you exercise everyday without any recovery, your muscles continue to break down without repairing themselves. If you’re doing full body workouts, train 2-3 days per week, and if you follow an upper/lower body split routine, 3-4 days is ideal, with recovery days in between.

2. Don’t Change Up Workouts Too Often
If your goal is to build muscle mass, continually changing up your workouts isn’t the best route to take. It may be fun to switch up your exercise routine, but sticking to the same program for 4-6 weeks before you change things up is the way to go if you want to gain muscle.

3. Do Increase Your Protein Intake
Protein is key to building muscle. Protein contains amino acids, which are the building blocks to gaining muscle. Aim for 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. It’s important to get some form of protein at every meal, and even more important to consume protein immediately after you workout. Your body has the greatest anabolic window post-workout, sending protein to your muscles for quick repair. Protein supplements are a great way to ensure your muscles are getting everything they need for building, breaking, and repairing tissue.

4. Don’t Cut Carbs
Cutting out carbs is one of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to gain muscle. Carbs contain essential macronutrients required for optimal health. They help you feel full for longer and give you the energy you need to get through your workouts. If you eat too little carbs, your body will dip into your protein supply for fuel. This takes fuel directly from your muscles, causing them to stop growing as quickly as they would with a balanced amount of carbs and protein.

5. Do Lift Heavier Weights As You Become Stronger
As you become stronger and your muscles begin to grow, it’s important to lift progressively heavier weights or perform harder bodyweight exercises. Lifting light weights doesn’t promote muscle growth, no matter how many reps you do. Bodyweight exercises like push-ups and lifting weights creates mechanical tension, which slightly damages the muscle, causing a growth response. If you don’t continue to increase the weight, you’re not likely to gain more muscle.

7 Muscle-Building Foods for Women

1. Eggs
Eggs are a great source of high quality protein, which we already know is essential for muscle repair and growth. Eggs contain a large amount of the amino acid called leucine, which is particularly important for muscle gain. On top of protein, eggs contain healthy fats and nutrients like B vitamins and choline, which help with functions like energy production.

2. Salmon
Salmon has a hefty dose of protein, omega-3 fatty acids and a number of important B vitamins. Omega-3 fatty acids play a key role in muscular health and can even increase muscle gain during exercise.

3. Shrimp
Shrimp are pretty much pure protein. They’re low in fat and have zero carbs, and while healthy fats and carbs are essential to a proper diet, eating shrimp is a great way to get your protein without too many added calories. Like eggs, shrimp are high in the amino acid leucine, needed for optimal muscle growth.

4. Chicken Breast
Chicken breast is packed with protein, and contain a good dose of B vitamins niacin and B6- both particularly important if you live an active lifestyle. These vitamins help your body function properly during physical activity and exercise that leads to muscle gain.

5. Turkey Breast
Turkey breast is high in protein and low in fat and carbs. It’s a quality source of the B vitamin niacin, which helps process fats and carbs in your body. Like chicken breast, the presence of B vitamins will help muscle gain by supporting your body’s ability to exercise.

6. Beans
Beans such as black beans and kidney beans are an excellent source of protein, and also contain fibre and B vitamins. On top of that, they’re high in phosphorus, magnesium and iron, so are crucial to your health overall. They’re a must for a lean muscle gain diet.

7. Chickpeas
Chickpeas are an amazing source of carbs and protein, and have a good dose of fibre as well. While animal protein is still seen as the “best” source of protein, chickpeas are an amazing source of protein for anyone following a plant based diet, or who wants to cut down on meat.

3 Muscle-Building Workouts for Women

As we age, women in particular lose their upper body strength. If you want to focus on building you arm muscles and upper body, this is the perfect workout for you. You’ll tone your upper body, building strength in your arms, with exercises like boxing punches, tricep dips and bicep curls. All you need is a pair of dumbbells and exercise mat, and you can start doing this arm workout from the comfort of your home.

If you’re looking to gain muscle, these workouts and foods will help you build strength and tone your body! Build them into your regular routine and watch the benefits roll in!